# Patent

## Title
Ladder support apparatus and methods

## Abstract

Ladder support apparatus and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes positioning a ladder having first and second pairs of legs in an operating position suitable for supporting a user. A ladder support assembly clampably coupled to the ladder, the ladder support assembly including at least one elongated member extending between a respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder, the elongated member being clampably coupled to the respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder by first and second coupling assemblies positioned at spaced-apart positions on the elongated member. The ladder is supported with the ladder support assembly on, for example, a non-uniform surface.

## Background
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application is a divisional application of commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/788,211 entitled “Ladder Support Apparatus and Methods” filed on Feb. 26, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,629, which application is incorporated herein by reference.


FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure relates to ladder support apparatus, and more specifically, to support assemblies for ladders operating on a plurality of support members.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ladders are ubiquitous devices used in a wide variety of commercial and residential circumstances. In some applications, such as during the intermediate stages of construction of structures (e.g. houses, buildings, aircraft, etc.) it may be desirable for ladders to be used prior to the installation of a uniform floor surface. This may present a challenge because most ladders are not designed to operate in the absence of a uniform floor surface.
For example, certain painting and sealing operations on aircraft sections often involve working over open floor beams at heights requiring ladders. Due to the nature of the paint and seal process, the installation of temporary flooring may not be practical. In order to resolve this problem, step ladders have been equipped with elongated rails that have been bolted or nailed to the bottoms of the legs and which extend between and beyond the front and rear legs to serve as supports for the ladders over the open floor beams.
Although desirable results have been achieved using such prior art methods, there is room for improvement. For example, it is undesirable to permanently modify the ladder by bolting or nailing the elongated rails onto the legs for various reasons, including, for example, because the ladder is thereafter rendered unable to fold up for storage. The resulting ladder assembly thereafter requires additional storage space than unaltered ladders, and may be unsuitable for other applications in which ladders are required, such as in relatively small spaces. The transport of such ladder assemblies from one work area to another typically requires more effort than the transport of unaltered ladders. Therefore, ladder support apparatus and methods that at least partially mitigate these effects would be useful.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to support assemblies for ladders operating on a plurality of support members. Apparatus and methods in accordance with the present invention may advantageously provide desired support for a ladder during operations over non-uniform surfaces (e.g. a plurality of floor beams) without permanent modification of the ladder, thereby allowing the ladder to be easily converted back to its original configuration for normal use, for transport, and for storage. These and other advantages may be achieved using embodiments of ladder support assemblies in accordance with the present invention.
In one embodiment, a method of operating a ladder, comprising: positioning a ladder having first and second pairs of legs in an operating position suitable for supporting a user; providing a ladder support assembly clampably coupled to the ladder, the ladder support assembly including at least one elongated member extending between a respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder, the elongated member being clampably coupled to the respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder by first and second coupling assemblies positioned at spaced-apart positions on the elongated member; and supporting the ladder with the ladder support assembly.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a ladder assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view of a left front coupling assembly of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged isometric view of a left rear coupling assembly of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a first partially-exploded isometric view of the left front and left rear coupling assemblies of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a second partially-exploded isometric view of the left front and left rear coupling assemblies of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a third partially-exploded isometric view of the left front and left rear coupling assemblies of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a fourth partially-exploded isometric view of the left front and left rear coupling assemblies of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged isometric view of a channel end cap of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a ladder assembly in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged first isometric view of a clamping assembly of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged second isometric view of the clamping assembly of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 9;
FIG. 12 is an exploded view, a partially-exploded view, and an assembled view of one of the front coupling assemblies of FIG. 9;
FIG. 13 is an exploded view and an assembled view of a strut assembly of the ladder support assembly of FIG. 9;
FIG. 14 is an enlarged elevational view of a side brace assembly of the ladder support assembly 220 of FIG. 9;
FIG. 15 is an enlarged isometric view of a lower brace coupling assembly of the side brace assembly of FIG. 14; and
FIGS. 16 and 17 are exploded and assembled views of the lower and upper brace coupling assemblies of FIG. 15.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to support assemblies for ladders operating on a plurality of support members. Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in FIGS. 1-17 to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the present invention may have additional embodiments, or that the present invention may be practiced without several of the details described in the following description.
In general, ladder support assemblies in accordance with the present invention may be removably coupled to the ladder to provide a “floor” wherever it is needed, without altering the ladder itself in any way. Thus, the ladder support assembly may be coupled to the ladder when needed, such as while performing operations over open floor beams, and may be uncoupled from the ladder so that the ladder may be easily folded for transport and storage.
For example, FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a ladder assembly 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the ladder assembly 100 includes a ladder 102 having left and right front legs 104, 106, and left and right rear legs 108, 110. A ladder support assembly 120 includes a left elongated member 122 and a right elongated member 124. Left and right front coupling assemblies 130a, 130b couple the left and right front legs 104, 106 with the left and right elongated members 122, 124, and left and right rear coupling assemblies 140a, 140b couple the left and right rear legs 108, 110 with the left and right elongated members 122, 124. The left and right elongated members 122, 124 are engaged over a plurality of floor beams 126. The bottoms of the elongated members 122, 124 may coated with a layer 125 of a non-skid material, such as, for example, a spray-on polyurethane.
In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the ladder 102 is “facing” in a direction that is approximately parallel with an interior wall 103 of an aircraft during an intermediate stage of assembly. It will be appreciated that the elongated members 122, 124 are adapted to extend at least between the respective legs of the ladder 102, and preferably, to extend between and beyond the respective legs of the ladder 102 in order to span a suitable number of floor beams 126 to provide stability to the ladder 102. Thus, a user may use the ladder assembly 100 to perform certain manufacturing operations (e.g. painting and sealing operations) on the aircraft prior to the installation of temporary flooring on the floor beams 126 within the aircraft. It will be appreciated that the elongated members 122, 124 may be any type of suitable elongated members, and that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Thus, although the elongated members 122, 124 shown in FIG. 1 are formed using an aluminum channel, in alternate embodiments, the elongated members could be formed from other members and other material types, including, for example, aluminum box section extrusion, steel members, or any other suitable members.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged isometric views of the left front and left rear coupling assemblies 130a, 140a of the ladder support assembly 120 of FIG. 1. FIGS. 4-7 are partially-exploded isometric views of the left front and left rear coupling assemblies 130a, 140a of the ladder support assembly 120 of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the left front coupling assembly 130a includes a slotted base 132 adapted to slideably engage into a channel 123 of the left elongated member 122 (FIG. 2). An arm member 134 is slideably coupled to the base 132, and a locking member 136 is coupled to the arm member 134 (FIG. 7). In this embodiment, the locking member 136 projects transversely at an approximately right angle away from the arm member 134.
As best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a side rail 135 projects outwardly from the base 132 along the length of the channel 123. A top rail 137 is engaged over an upper portion of the base 132 and laterally beyond the channel 123 to approximately the outer edges of the elongated member 122 (FIG. 2). The arm member 134 is positioned on the top rail 137, and a threaded member 138 is threadedly engaged through the arm member 134 and the top rail 137 to secure the arm member 134 and the top rail 137 in position on the base 132 (FIGS. 2 and 7).
In operation, the left front coupling assembly 130a is engaged with the left front leg 104 of the ladder 102 by positioning the base 132 into the channel 123 of the left elongated member 122. The left front leg 104 is also placed in the channel 123 and is engaged against the base 132. The locking member 136 and the side rail 135 are engaged against the left front leg 104, and the threaded member 138 is tightened, thereby clamping the left front coupling assembly 130a to the channel 123 and securing the left front leg 104 into position in the channel 123. More specifically, the side rail 135 is engaged against the left front leg 104, clamping the leg 104 against the side of the channel 123 and preventing lateral movement of the leg 104 within the channel 123. The locking member 134 is engaged with the leg 104, preventing the leg from lifting out of the channel 123. The base 132, the arm member 134, and the locking member 136 cooperate to prevent the leg 104 from moving longitudinally along the length of the channel 123.
Similarly, the left rear coupling assembly 140a includes a slotted base 142 adapted to slideably engage into the channel 123 (FIG. 3), and an arm member 144 slideably coupled to the base 142. A locking member 146 is coupled to the arm member 144 and projects outwardly therefrom (FIG. 6). A side rail 145 projects outwardly from the base 142 along the length of the channel 123. A top rail 147 is engaged over the base 142 and extends laterally beyond the channel 123 to approximately the outer edges of the elongated member 122 (FIG. 3). A threaded member 148 secures the arm member 144 and the top rail 147 in position on the base 142 (FIGS. 2 and 7).
The operation of the rear coupling assembly 140a is similar to the operation of the front coupling assembly 130a described above. In brief, the left rear leg 108 is positioned in the channel 123, and the base 142 is engaged into the channel 123 and abutted against the left rear leg 108. The side rail 145 is engaged against the left rear leg 108, clamping the leg 108 against the side of the channel 123 and preventing lateral movement of the leg 108 within the channel 123. The locking member 144 is engaged with the left rear leg 108, preventing the leg from lifting out of the channel 123. The base 142, the arm member 144, and the locking member 146 cooperate to prevent the leg 108 from moving longitudinally along the length of the channel 123 of the elongated members 122, 124 (FIGS. 1 and 2).
FIG. 8 is an enlarged isometric view of a channel end cap 150 of the ladder support assembly 120 of FIG. 1. After the front and rear leg coupling assemblies 130, 140 are installed into the channel 123 of the first and second elongated members 122, 124, the channel end cap 150 is secured at each end of the elongated members 122, 124 (two visible in FIG. 1).
With the ladder support assembly 120 coupled to the ladder 102, the ladder 102 may be utilized on a variety of non-uniform support surfaces. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, because the ladder 102 is supported by the elongated members 122, 124, the ladder 102 may be used over a plurality of floor beams 126. Of course, it will be appreciated that the ladder support assembly 120 provides a stable support that enables the ladder 102 to be utilized on a variety of non-uniform support surfaces, and is not limited to the specific floor-beam example shown in FIG. 1.
Embodiments of ladder support assemblies in accordance with the present invention may provide significant advantages over the prior art. For example, since the support assembly is clampably coupled to the ladder using the front and rear coupling assemblies 130, 140, there is no need to permanently modify the ladder to utilize the advantages of the ladder support assembly. Also, the support assembly may be easily coupled to, and uncoupled from, the ladder as needed. Because the support assembly may be easily removed from the ladder, the ladder may be easily converted back for normal use, and may be folded up readily in the usual fashion for storage. These and other advantages may be achieved using embodiments of ladder support assemblies in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a ladder assembly 200 in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the ladder assembly 200 includes a ladder 202 and a ladder support assembly 220. The ladder support assembly 220 includes front and rear transverse members 222, 224 that span transversely between and beyond the left and right front legs 204, 206, and between and beyond the left and right rear legs 208, 210, respectively. The front transverse member 222 is coupled to the front legs 204, 206 using front coupling assemblies 230a, 230b. Similarly, the rear transverse member 224 is coupled to the rear legs 208, 210 using rear coupling assemblies 240a, 240b. Side brace assemblies 260 brace the outer portions of the front and rear transverse members 222, 224
FIGS. 10 and 11 are enlarged isometric views of front and rear coupling assemblies 230b, 240a of the ladder support assembly 220 of FIG. 9. FIG. 12 is an exploded view 261, a partially-exploded view 263, and an assembled view 264 of the front coupling assembly 230b of FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the front coupling assembly 230b includes a slotted base 232 adapted to slideably engage into a channel 223 of the front transverse member 222, a support plate 234 coupled to the slotted base 232, and a locking member 236 coupled to the support plate 234.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, in operation, the slotted base 232 is engaged into the channel 223, and the support plate 234 is coupled to the slotted base 232 and positioned on an upper portion of the front transverse member 222, spanning across the channel 223. Finally, the locking member 236 is coupled to the support plate 234 and engaged with the front leg 206 of the ladder 202 (FIG. 10). Thus, the locking member 236 of the front coupling assembly 230b securely engages the front leg 206, thereby coupling the ladder 202 to the front transverse member 222. Similarly, as best shown in FIG. 11, the rear coupling assembly 240a includes a slotted base 242 (not visible), a support plate 244, and a locking member 246. The components of the rear coupling assembly 240a are assembled in the same manner as the components of the front coupling assembly 230b, and securely engage the rear leg 208 of the ladder 202 with the rear transverse member 224.
FIG. 13 is an exploded view 251 and an assembled view 253 of one end of a strut assembly 250. The strut assembly is part of the side brace assembly 260 of FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the strut assembly 250 includes a strut member 262, a joint base 252 (two required per strut member) that slidably engages into a strut channel 225, and a top plate 254 that engages with the joint base 252. In the assembled position 253, the upper portion of the strut member 262 is clamped between the top plate 254 and the joint base 252. A complete assembly 253 is positioned on each end of the strut member 262. A channel stop block 256 is coupled to each end portion of a strut member 262. In this embodiment two strut assemblies 250 are employed per transverse members 222, 224 (FIG. 9).
FIG. 14 is an enlarged elevational view of a side brace assembly 260 of the ladder support assembly 220 of FIG. 9. FIG. 15 is an enlarged isometric view of a lower brace coupling assembly 270 of the side brace assembly 260 of FIG. 14. FIGS. 16 and 17 are exploded and assembled views of the lower and upper brace coupling assemblies 270, 280 of FIG. 15. As best shown in FIG. 14, in this embodiment, the side brace assembly 260 includes a strut member 262 that is coupled to the rear transverse member 224 by the lower brace coupling assembly 270, and to the left rear leg 208 of the ladder 202 by the upper brace coupling assembly 280. As shown in FIG. 9, the ladder support assembly 220 may include four side brace assemblies 260. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the side braces shown in FIG. 9 protect the cantilevered portions of the transverse members 222, 224 from bending under load. Transverse members of heavier cross section might not require side braces, but at the cost of increased weight.
Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, the lower brace coupling assembly 270 includes a slotted base 272 that engages into the channel of the transverse member 224. A coupling tab 274 is hingeably coupled to a clamp plate 276 which, in turn, is coupled to the slotted base 272. In operation, the clamp plate 276 and the slotted base 272 cooperate to clampably secure the lower brace coupling assembly 270 to the transverse member 224. The coupling tab 274 is coupled to a strut top plate of the strut member 262. In one particular embodiment, the strut member 262 is coupled to the coupling tab 274 such that it may rotate with respect to the coupling tab 274 and provide an additional degree of freedom to account for the compound angle at which the strut typically meets the transverse member.
The construction of the upper brace assembly 280 is similar to the lower brace assembly 270. As shown in FIG. 17, the upper brace assembly 280 includes a slotted base 282 that is engaged with the rear leg 208 of the ladder 202 (FIG. 14). A coupling tab 284 is hingeably coupled to a clamp plate 286. In operation, the clamp plate 286 and the slotted base 282 cooperate to clampably secure the upper brace coupling assembly 280 to the rear leg 208, and the coupling tab 284 is coupled to a strut top plate of the strut member 262. Again, in one embodiment, the brace member 262 is rotatably coupled to the coupling tab 284 to provide an additional degree of freedom to account for the compound angle at which the strut typically meets the ladder.
It will be appreciated that the ladder support assembly 220 described above with reference to FIGS. 9-17 advantageously expands the manner in which the ladder 202 may be used over non-uniform surfaces. For example, because the front and rear transverse members 222, 224 extend between and beyond the front and rear legs, respectively, the ladder 202 may be used in a different direction over the plurality of floor beams 126 shown in FIG. 1. More specifically, the ladder support assembly 220 enables the ladder 202 to be used with the ladder “facing” the interior wall 103 of the aircraft. This allows a user to perform necessary operations on the interior wall 103 without twisting the user's body or requiring the user to stand “sideways” on the ladder 202. Thus, the above-noted advantages of ladder support assemblies in accordance with the present invention may be achieved in an alternate embodiment that permits the ladder 202 to be utilized in a direction that faces along or approximately parallel with the plurality of floor beams 126, thereby improving the versatility of the ladder 202.
While preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.

## Claims

1. A method of operating a ladder, comprising:
positioning a ladder having first and second pairs of legs in an operating position suitable for supporting a user;
providing a removable ladder support assembly clampably coupled to the ladder, the ladder support assembly including at least one elongated member extending between a respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder, the elongated member being clampably coupled to the respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder by first and second coupling assemblies positioned at spaced-apart positions on the elongated member, the elongated member comprising a channel diposed therein;
slideably positioning the first and second coupling assemblies into the channel of the elongated member; and
supporting the ladder with the ladder support assembly, wherein the channel comprises an elongated channel having a bottom surface and a pair of lateral side surfaces, and wherein at least one of the first and second coupling assemblies includes; a base slidably engaged into the channel, the base including a rail member projecting outwardly from the base along a length of the channel and engaged against a lateral surface of an associated one of the first and second pair of legs; and a support plate coupled to the base and including a locking member projecting outwardly from the support plate and engaged against a second lateral surface of the associated one of the first and second pair of legs, wherein the base and the support plate clampably couple the associated one of the first and second pair of legs to the at least one elongated member such that the rail member clampably engages the associated one of the legs against one of the lateral side surfaces of the channel and the locking member clampably engages the associated one of the legs against the bottom surface of the channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one elongated member extends between and beyond the respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one elongated member comprises at least one elongated member extending between first and second legs of the ladder, the first and second legs being either left or right side legs of the ladder.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning the ladder support assembly on a non-uniform base.

5. A method of performing manufacturing operations on an aircraft, comprising:
positioning a ladder having first and second pairs of legs in an operating position suitable for supporting a user;
clampably coupling a removable ladder support assembly to the ladder, the ladder support assembly including at least one elongated member extending between a respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder, the elongated member being clampably coupled to the respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder by first and second coupling assemblies positioned at spaced-apart positions on the elongated member, the elongated member comprising a channel exposed therein;
slideably positioning the first and second coupling assemblies into the channel of the elongated member; and
supporting the ladder with the ladder support assembly, wherein the channel comprises an elongated channel having a bottom surface and a pair of lateral side surfaces, and wherein at least one of the first and second coupling assemblies includes; a base slidably engaged into the channel, the base including a rail member projecting outwardly from the base along a length of the channel and engaged against a lateral surface of an associated one of the first and second pair of legs; and a support plate coupled to the base and including a locking member projecting outwardly from the support plate and engaged against a second lateral surface of the associated one of the first and second pair of legs, wherein the base and the support plate clampably couple the associated one of the first and second pair of legs to the at least one elongated member such that the rail member clampably engages the associated one of the legs against one of the lateral side surfaces of the channel and the locking member clampably engages the associated one of the legs against the bottom surface of the channel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one elongated member extends between and beyond the respective one of the first and second pairs of legs of the ladder.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first and second pairs of legs comprise first and second legs selected from the group consisting of front legs, rear legs, left side legs, and right side legs.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising positioning the ladder support assembly on a non-uniform base.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein positioning the ladder support assembly on a non-uniform base comprises positioning the ladder support assembly on a plurality of floor beams within the aircraft.

10. A method of assembling an aircraft, comprising:
positioning a ladder having first and second pairs of legs in an operating position suitable for supporting a user;
clampably coupling a removable ladder support assembly to the ladder, the ladder support assembly including a pair of elongated members extending between respective first and second pairs of legs of the ladder, each elongated member being clampably coupled to the respective first and second pairs of legs by first and second coupling assemblies positioned at spaced-apart positions on the elongated member, each elongated member comprising a channel exposed therein;
slideably positioning the first and second coupling assemblies into the channels of the pair of elongated members; and
positioning the ladder support assembly onto a plurality of elongated, spaced-apart floor members of the aircraft,
wherein the channel comprises an elongated channel having a bottom surface and a pair of lateral side surfaces, and wherein at least one of the first and second coupling assemblies includes; a base slidably engaged into the channel, the base including a rail member projecting outwardly from the base along a length of the channel and engaged against a lateral surface of an associated one of the first and second pair of legs; and a support plate coupled to the base and including a locking member projecting outwardly from the support plate and engaged against a second lateral surface of the associated one of the first and second pair of legs, wherein the base and the support plate clampably couple the associated one of the first and second pair of legs to the at least one elongated member such that the rail member clampably engages the associated one of the legs against one of the lateral side surfaces of the channel and the locking member clampably engages the associated one of the legs against the bottom surface of the channel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each elongated member extends between and beyond the respective first and second pairs of legs of the ladder.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising performing a manufacturing operation within the aircraft from a location on the ladder.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the manufacturing operation includes at least one of a painting operation and a sealing operation.